MARANA, Arizona: Marc Leishman opened with an eagle and held it together in the middle of his round for a 5-under 66 on Saturday, giving him a two-shot lead over Sergio Garcia going into the third and final round of LIV Golf Tucson.
Leishman said he had fallen into a habit of letting a rough stretch ruin his round. The Australian dropped only one shot at the Gallery Golf Club in the high desert and delivered one last birdie on the par-5 17th to reach 11-under 131.
“I had a really hot start, the cooled on the back nine,” said Leishman, who was 4 under for his round through eight holes. “But I didn’t let it get away from me.”
Garcia, whose last victory anywhere was in Mississippi more than two years ago, had a 65 that could have been slightly better if not for missing a 2-foot par putt on the 16th hole. He at least was able to finish with a birdie on his last hole at No. 17.
Garcia’s team, the Fireballs, had a one-shot lead in the team competition.
“We’re right there. We need another good day tomorrow,” Garcia said.
Louis Oosthuizen was in a four-player group at 8-under 134, though none of the others had quite the tease at the end of the round like the South African.
Finishing on the par-4 18th, Oosthuizen’s approach landed a few feet short of the flag and struck the pin, rolling back off a false front into the fairway. His pitch for birdie was headed for the pin and spun in and out of the cup.
At that point, he turned away and covered his face. He made the par for a 68.
“It pitched exactly where I wanted it to, it hit the pin and off the green. Same look with the chip. I thought I was to chip it in,” Oosthuizen said. “I’m standing over the putt thinking, ‘You better make this or it’s going to be a bad ending.’”
He was joined at 134 by Charles Howell III (65), Brendan Steele (65) and Cameron Tringale (66), who never won on the PGA Tour before signing up for LIV Golf last season.
Howell won the first LIV Golf event of its second season last month at Mayakoba.
Phil Mickelson had a bogey-free round, making four birdies in an eight-hole stretch that led to a 67. He was tied for 10th, six shots out of the lead. His team, which includes Steele, was one shot behind Garcia’s team.
Leishman has 2-shot lead over Garcia at LIV Golf in Arizona
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Leishman has 2-shot lead over Garcia at LIV Golf in Arizona
- The Australian dropped only one shot at the Gallery Golf Club in the high desert
- Sergio Garcia’s team, the Fireballs, had a one-shot lead in the team competition
LIV Golf to increase regular season field size to 57, adds third qualifying spot for LIV Golf Promotions
- LIV Golf Promotions will now reward the top three finishers with full-season wild card spots in the 2026 LIV Golf League
NEW YORK: LIV Golf on Tuesday announced it has increased its regular season field size and enhanced the qualifying opportunities for 2026 in the third edition of LIV Golf Promotions, set for Jan. 8–11 at the acclaimed Black Diamond Ranch in Lecanto, Florida.
The four-day, 72-hole stroke play event presents one of the most dynamic entry points into the global golf ecosystem, offering spots in the 2026 LIV Golf League and The International Series, sanctioned by the Asian Tour.
Beginning this February, LIV Golf’s regular season field size will increase to 57 players, with 13 four-player teams and five wild card players competing throughout the League’s global schedule.
LIV Golf Promotions will now reward the top three finishers with full-season wild card spots in the 2026 LIV Golf League, an increase from the two spots previously announced.
The top 10 finishers, including ties, will earn full exemption into the 2026 International Series, the set of elevated events sanctioned by the Asian Tour. The move further enhances the pathways into LIV Golf from 2025 to 2026, with an increase in exemptions from one to two players through The International Series and an increase from one to three players through LIV Golf Promotions. The five qualifying players will compete independently as wild cards in 2026 with guaranteed spots in the League’s 13 regular season events.
“LIV Golf is committed to moving the sport forward by expanding opportunity and access,” said LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil. “We are opening pathways — creating more chances for top talent to compete in the world’s golf league. Adding another qualifying spot strengthens our field and adds excitement to a season built on opportunity, competition, and growth.”
The top three finishers in LIV Golf Promotions will enter the 2026 LIV Golf League alongside Zimbabwe’s Scott Vincent and Japan’s Yosuke Asaji, who sealed their spots as the top two players in the final rankings of the 2025 International Series, which concluded last month at the 2025 PIF Saudi International at Riyadh Golf Club.
